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View Full Version : Why don't IM have an auto translate feature?



polardude1983
April 25th, 2011, 03:12 AM
Just curious. I think it would be awesome to have any kind of instant messenger to automatically translate what I say in real time and what the other person says in real time.

Dustin2128
April 25th, 2011, 03:23 AM
translators generally aren't very good. At all. But if you want to try, I'm sure it wouldn't take long if you could find a decent open translator.

Thewhistlingwind
April 25th, 2011, 03:28 AM
translators generally aren't very good. At all.

This, the actual implementation could be as little as 60 lines of code. (To make a pipe, depending on the language, using an already existing IM and Translater.)

It just wouldn't be a very useful feature, natural language is hard.

NightwishFan
April 25th, 2011, 03:30 AM
I could have sworn kopete had this feature.

conradin
April 25th, 2011, 03:39 AM
I used to work in translating at an aerospace firm in Germany.
Its rough. Your going fine, then someone uses a word or expression they don't have in the other language. Or Even worse, Some jerk at Microsoft Decides the word "file" will translate to "datei" which has no meaning other than Microsoft did a poopy job translating, and everyone else will be following their suit after that.

Still translating is moving right along. There are apps out there for iphones that take photos of street signs in one language and translate them into some other language.

The movie Die hard is in German Stirbt Langsam or slow death,
The Long Kiss Goodnight --> todlich weihnachten or deadly chrsitmas.


probably products of similarly poor translation.